[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 175 (Friday, September 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55867-55868]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23168]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 175 / Friday, September 9, 2011 / 
Notices  

[[Page 55867]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0019]


National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing, 
pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, that 
the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) 
will hold a public meeting on September 22 and 23, 2011, to review and 
discuss pre-harvest and validation.
    All issues will be presented to the full Committee. The Committee 
will then divide into two subcommittees to discuss the issues. Each 
subcommittee will provide a report of their comments and 
recommendations to the full Committee before the meeting concludes on 
September 23, 2011.

DATES: The Committee will hold a public meeting on Thursday, September 
22, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, September 23, 2011, from 9 
a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The subcommittees will hold open meetings during 
their deliberations and report preparation.

ADDRESSES: The meeting site will be posted on the FSIS Web site as soon 
as the information is available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov under News 
& Events.
    The meeting agenda is available on the Internet at the NACMPI Web 
site, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/about_fsis/nacmpi/index.asp.
    FSIS welcomes comments through November 1, 2011, on the topics 
discussed at the NACMPI public meeting. Comments may be submitted by 
any of the following methods:
    Electronic mail: [email protected].
    Mail, including floppy disks or CD-ROMs: Send to National Advisory 
Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection, USDA, FSIS, 14th & 
Independence Avenue, SW., Room 1180, South Building, Washington, DC 
20250.
    Hand- or courier-delivered items: Deliver to Sally Fernandez at 
14th & Independence Avenue, SW., Room 1180-S, Washington, DC. To 
deliver these items, the building security guard must first call (202) 
720-9113.
    Facsimile: Send to Sally Fernandez, (202) 690-6519. All submissions 
received must include the Agency name and docket number FSIS-2011-0019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Keith Payne for technical information 
at (202) 690-6522, or e-mail [email protected], and Sally 
Fernandez for meeting information at (202) 690-6524, Fax (202) 690-
6519, or e-mail [email protected]. Persons requiring a sign 
language interpreter or other special accommodations should notify 
Sally Fernandez at the numbers above or by e-mail.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The NACMPI provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of 
Agriculture pertaining to the Federal and State meat and poultry 
inspection programs, pursuant to sections 7(c), 24, 205, 301(a)(3), 
301(a)(4), and 301(c) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 
607(c), 624, 645, 661(a)(3), 661(a)(4), and 661(c)) and sections 
5(a)(3), 5(a)(4), 5(c), 8(b), and 11(e) of the Poultry Products 
Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 454(a)(3), 454(a)(4), 454(c), 457(b), and 
460(e)).
    The Administrator of FSIS is the chairperson of the Committee. 
Membership of the Committee is drawn from representatives of consumer 
groups; producers, processors, and marketers from the meat, poultry and 
egg product industries; State and local government officials; and 
academia. The current members of the NACMPI are: Patricia K. Buck, 
Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention; Dr. Fur-Chi Chen, 
Tennessee State University; Brian R. Covington, Keystone Foods LLC; Dr. 
Catherine N. Cutter, Pennsylvania State University; Nancy J. Donley, 
STOP Foodborne Illness; Veneranda Gapud, Fieldale Farms Corporation; 
Dr. Craig Henry, Deloitte & Touche LLP; Dr. Cheryl D. Jones, Morehouse 
School of Medicine; Dr. Heidi Kassenborg, Minnesota Department of 
Agriculture; Sarah A. Klein, Center for Science in the Public Interest; 
Dr. Shelton E. Murinda, California State Polytechnic University; Dr. 
Edna Negr[oacute]n, University of Puerto Rico; Robert G. Reinhard, Sara 
Lee Corporation; Dr. Craig E. Shultz, Pennsylvania Department of 
Agriculture; Stanley A. Stromberg, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, 
Food, and Forestry; Dr. John D. Tilden, Michigan Department of 
Agriculture and Rural Development; Carol L. Tucker-Foreman, Consumer 
Federation of America; Steve E. Warshawer, Mesa Top Farm; Dr. J. Byron 
Williams, Mississippi State University; and Leonard W. Winchester, 
Public Health--Seattle & King County.
    The Committee will discuss pre-harvest and validation:
     As was initially discussed at the 2010 NACMPI meeting, 
exploring and implementing pre-harvest hazard controls is of continuing 
interest to FSIS. The Agency tracks illnesses caused by the three 
pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), and E. coli 
O157:H7, as part of its corporate ``All-Illness'' performance measure. 
Significant progress has been made towards reducing illnesses caused by 
Lm and E. coli O157:H7. The same cannot be said about Salmonella. 
Salmonella spp., especially multi-drug resistant strains, are being 
increasingly identified as the cause of human illness from the 
consumption of ground poultry and beef products. Since 2009, over 37 
million pounds of raw ground beef and ground turkey products have been 
recalled over five separate recalls because they were implicated in 
salmonellosis outbreaks. FSIS' goal is to reduce and eliminate 
pathogens before products reach consumers. This meeting will expand on 
the pre-harvest discussions begun at the 2010 NACMPI meeting and more 
thoroughly explore options of preventing hazards from entering 
establishments on source animals or products.
     FSIS intends to make available updated guidelines 
concerning validation for the meat and poultry industry. At this 
meeting, FSIS will make available for comment by the Committee a draft 
of the updated

[[Page 55868]]

guidance. FSIS seeks comment on whether validation, when properly 
implemented, effectively helps prevent or control relevant hazards.
    All interested parties are welcome to attend the meeting and to 
submit written comments and suggestions concerning issues the Committee 
will review and discuss.
    The comments and the official transcript of the meeting, when they 
become available, will be kept in the FSIS Docket Room, 1400 
Independence Avenue, SW., Patriots Plaza 3, Mailstop 3782, Room 163A, 
Washington, DC 20250-3700, and posted on the Agency's NACMPI Web site, 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/about_fsis/nacmpi/index.asp.
    Members of the public will be required to register before entering 
the meetings. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the meeting site 
and the meetings will begin at 9 a.m.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on 
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, 
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or 
family status (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication of program information (Braille, large print, and 
audiotape) should contact USDA's Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice 
and TTY).
    To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TTY). 
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that 
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
notice, FSIS will announce it online through the FSIS Web page located 
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
    FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register publication 
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide 
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal 
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information 
that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free 
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, 
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals 
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS 
Web page. Through the Listserv and Web page, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In addition, 
FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service, which provides 
automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and 
information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Email_Subscription/. Options range from recalls to 
export information to regulations, directives and notices. Customers 
can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to 
password protect their accounts.

    Done at Washington, DC, on: September 6, 2011.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-23168 Filed 9-7-11; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P